To You I Love
by xbubbles
Summary: this is a story about john cena...i'm not good at summaries, sorry
1. Ch 1

To You I Love  
  
January, 2003  
  
"Okay, ready to go?" "Yes, we're ready!!!" answered Kelly Wells. "Yeah, we're ready now. Let's hurry up and get in the car!" said Jim Brooks. "Waaaaaiiiiiiittttttt!!!!" exclaimed the highflying wrestler, by the name of Skyler Dane. Always late, not getting ready on time, as usual. "Now what?!?!" snapped annoyed John Cena, his best friend. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just have to go get something. You guys can go ahead first," said Skyler. "Fine, fine. Sky, hurry up will you? Please.the last time you weren't ready on time, we had to jump out from backstage as soon as we got there!" "Oh, I remember that! Brian couldn't breathe that time, you almost killed him, fool!" Larry Dennis joked around. "Go, go right ahead! I'll be out in a sec." Sky pushed the wrestlers away. He had to find something, a thing he couldn't live without. He had lost it the night before, after he took a shower, but he had not realized it until this morning. "God, where is it?" He looked everywhere.under the bed, by the window, even in the trashcan! But it still wasn't there. He sighed and gave up, deciding to come back later to look for it.  
  
*********************** Part I  
  
[In 1984----]  
  
"Whaaaaa!!!! Leave me 'lone!!! John, help!!!" There was a siren-like exclamation of a girl in the playground. Her ponytail was being pulled by a naughty boy whom she feared the most, named Skyler Dane. "Sky, leave the poor thing 'lone, will you?" John tried to separate Sky from the girl. But Sky didn't let go of his hands. "Not 'till you apologize, then I'll let cha go!" screamed Sky. "No way, no way!!!" the girl was refusing Sky's request with all her strength. "How come you say you respect John and not me? I'm still a year older than you! Now talk back to me one more time and I'm gonna pull all your hair out and make you bald!" "Skyler Dane, stop all that nonsense now! 'Kay?" John was finally able to get the girl's hair out of monster Skyler's hands. "Hey! Who are you to tell me to do this and to do that?" Sky pouted his lips out as he protested. The girl sat on the ground, sniffing. "John, I.I.whaaaaa!!!!" the girl started crying. John patted her back to stop her crying. "It's okay, it's okay. Sky, why are you so mean to her?" he gave Sky a long and dirty stare. "Sky doesn't like me 'cause I call him the "bad guy". But he always beats me up and I don't like him. John is my favorite," she gave John a cute smile. And at the same time, she gave an evil eye to Sky and stuck her tongue out. "What did you say?!! I'm gonna hit you if you keep on talking like that to me!" Sky had his fists clenched, really getting in the position to hit her. The girl quickly hit behind John. "Sky, leave her 'lone. Look at her; can't you see all the bruises on her arms and legs? They all there 'cause you beat her up everyday. Haven't you heard from your mama that you're not supposed to hit a girl?! Have some heart, man!" "Oh, shut up. You always take her side, John Cena. And you call yourself my best friend? Ha!" Sky snorted and left the playground. He was mad, not at John, but at the girl. Why did she always call him the "bad guy"? She always said John this and John that. 


	2. Ch 2

Part II  
  
Tallie Anderson was her name. Skyler loved teasing her, it was like the highlight of his day. If Tallie were swinging, he'd push her off. If she were playing jump rope with her friends, he'd always appear like a monster and cut the strings. Tallie was very afraid of Sky and whenever she saw him nearby, she always turned around and hid somewhere. One the other hand, John Cena was like her savior. When he found Sky teasing her or hitting her, John always came and stopped the quarrel, or rather, the torture. John and Sky had been best friends since they were born. In 1981 when both of them turned five, Tallie moved to Boston from Alabama, next to John's house. Tallie can still remember how she met John. She was sitting on her front porch, gazing at the sky.  
  
"Hey there. You seem lonely out here, do you have anyone to play with?" "No. Not really." "Okay then. I'll play with you! What's your name?" "Tallie." "I'm John. How old are you?" "4." "Oh, I'm older than you then. I'm 5. Call me John and I'll play with you, okay?" "Okay. John."  
  
Tallie was quite lonely for a while because she was new. But when John came to play with her everyday, she was very content. Until one day.  
  
She heard the yelling outside her house. She looked out the window and there stood a boy she had never seen before. He was yelling his lungs out, "JOHNNY!!!! COME OUTSIDE!!" John came out soon and Tallie's face lit up. She sensed that he was going to come over. "Heeey, Sky!!!" a smile grew big on John's face. "Do you wan come to the playground, J?" "Oh, first, I need to show you someone." Then Tallie saw John dragging the boy's left arm and standing in front of the doorbell. She jumped out and ran to open the door. "Hi, Johnny!" Tallie greeted brightly. "Hey Tallie. I brought a friend along with me today." Sky rolled his eyes and examined Tallie carefully. "Sky, this is Tallie. Tal, this is Skyler. He's my best friend." Tallie's face turned red. When she finally managed to say 'hi' to Skyler, his words hit her to her surprise: "Gosh, she is sooooooo ugly, J! I hate girls. Yuck!" This statement was the beginning of Sky and Tallie's relationship.as enemies.  
  
After that Tallie's days of her happy childhood were just ruined by the presence of Skyler Dane. He always teased her about how ugly she was and such. She refused to call him even 'someone she knew' for he did not deserve any recognition. And that's what really got Sky angry. For just once he wanted Tallie to treat him like she treated John. But she never did.  
  
As all three of them- John, Sky, and Tallie- grew up, went to elementary, junior high, and finally got to high school. Tallie, after graduating form an all-girls junior high school, came to George Washington H.S., coed, where John and Sky attended. She was very happy to see John everyday at school, but obviously not Sky. Argh, those nightmares, she thought, will start all over again and haunt her. 


	3. Ch 3

Part III  
  
Sadly, high school wasn't as great as Tallie thought it would be. She was hoping to see more of John. Even though they were next-door neighbors, John had been so busy ever since he got into Junior High. In the mornings and evenings he used to deliver newspapers to support his family. When he got to high school, he quit the evening shift and joined a wrestling team with Sky and two of their friends, Tommy and Rick. So Tallie hardly got a chance to see him anymore.in the mornings, he'd be gone.at school, she could only see him during recess, but he was always asleep.in the evenings he'd always be practicing at a friend's house. On the contrary, Sky must be some kind of superman.at every opportunity he came to Tallie's class and bugged her. God, does he ever get tired from all those hours of wrestling? It was official among her classmates now that Sky was not only her tormentor but also "boyfriend."  
  
"Tallie-girl!!" Sky made a visit to Tallie's class, like he always did. She was trying to study for a test, but when she heard Sky's voice, she slammed her book on the desk and put her head down. "Hey, Tallie!" Here's your boyfriend!" one of the classmates whistled. "Haha! Funny.now shut up." She got up and walked to the door. "What do you want Skyler Dane?" "You ain't suppose to talk to your husband like that, you know. You could get in trouble for that, yup, yup!!!" he had a huge grin on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Okay, what can I do for you your majesty?" Tallie said sarcastically. "Buy me lunch!!!" "No way, why would I spend ma money on you? Besides, you know the cafeteria isn't a cafeteria; it's a battlefield!!! I ain't risking my life for you to get your lunch, so buy it yourself!!" "Fine, fine." Sky turned around and slowly started walking back. He murmured to himself but loud enough so Tallie could hear, "I reckon poor John would have to starve then." He smiled to himself. That caught Tallie's attention at once. She stopped him immediately. "What did you say? What about John?" "He hasn't had nothing to eat for the past two days, he must be starving by now. He asked me to get him something to eat, but I don't have no money so I came to ask you.but the way you're treating me." "Okay! No problem. I'll go get it right now!" she went inside, grabbed her wallet quickly, and hurried downstairs to the "battlefield," leaving Sky stunned. That took her like 10 seconds!  
  
After starring at the direction Tallie went for a while, Sky started heading back to his classroom. He felt something inside him he couldn't understand. It was like a sadness. It was a questionable sadness though, not a definite one. But he did know for sure he never felt like that before. It was typical for him to feel jealous because Tallie was always up to her neck about John's affairs and seldom paid attention to Sky, but it really didn't make him feel all that bad.until now.  
  
Sky had noticed a while ago that he was developing some kind of feelings for Tallie. But he wasn't quite sure. He had sort of forgotten about her since they went to different junior high, but when he saw her again in high school, it all came back to him. The memories.fun times for him, a torture for Tallie. He always felt sorry for teasing her and beating her up so much when they were little, but he couldn't help it. Whenever he saw her caring for his best friend, he felt so jealous. He couldn't get angry with John, obviously, so he took it all out on Tallie.  
  
But the time for that immature stuff had passed, Sky thought to himself. He really needed to grow up and be more serious and treat her better. He was begging to see her more as a girl, rather than his good ol' "toy" or a playmate. She was pretty in a way; her hair was blonde, Sky's favorite. She was neither too short nor too tall, which was perfect for him since he was so short for a guy. 5'7", geez. Even though she was very quiet and reserved, Sky knew her better than most people so conversing with her was not a problem. She was intelligent, too, for she always fought for the #1 spot in her entire class.  
  
"It doesn't matter." Sky quietly spoke to himself. "She'll never like me anyway.her heart is set on John for 12 years now." 


	4. Ch 4

Part IV  
  
"Hey, Sky, you listening?" John patted Sky's shoulder lightly. "Oh, sorry. What are you saying?" Sky snapped out of his la-la land. "What, you weren't paying no attention this whole time? I said, how about we try this new finishing move instead of the one we tried before." "Oh, okay. Good idea," replied Sky. "What, you aren't gonna even see if it'd work?" John question with his eyes widened. "I'm sure it'll be fine that way, anyway, can I leave early? I'm very tired." "What?!?! But it's only 5! You've only been here for an hour!" "Yeah, so, my mama wants me to come home early today. Bye!" Sky packed his stuff without anyone's approval and stepped out of the room. He was practicing with his friends, John, Tommy, and Rick. But he wasn't in that mood today. He sighed and started walking back to his house.  
  
He was passing by the park on his way home when he spotted Tallie from the other side of the park. Group of kids were playing soccer. He stopped for a sec and stared at her, dazed. That's when the soccer ball hit him square in the left of his face, without him knowing it. "Owww!!! S---!!" Skyler collapsed on the ground, covering his face. "Watch it you fool!! Don't stand there like a moron!!" A guy came to pick up the ball and yelled at Skyler. "Urrrrrrr.it hurts!" He uncovered his face and looked at his palm. Blood! Tallie must have seen him. She looked in his direction, surprised, and ran over to him. "Sky, are you okay?!!!!" Tallie panicked when she saw the blood on his face. "Oh my God! You're bleeding! Does it hurt a lot? Let me see." she got her handkerchief out of her backpack and started wiping out the blood on his face. Sky felt so stupid. He was embarrassed, to get hit by a ball right on his face. The worst part was that Tallie saw the whole thing. Now she probably thinks he's some kind of an idiot, to stand there and get hit like that. He felt so humiliated. "Are you okay? You're bleeding heavily.you have to go wash your face." Tallie was pressing down on his cheek with her handkerchief. He started blushing, his face turning red. "Maybe you should go to the doctor. Does it hurt a lot?" His heart now began pounding quickly. For the first time in 12 years she was being kind to him. But he didn't want her to see him like this!! Looking like an idiot. "Go away, I'm fine now," said Sky coldly. Wait, No!!! He didn't mean that!! Why the hell did he say that?! "What did you say?!" Tallie's eyes grew wide. After all she's done to help him out?! "I'm okay now. I don't need your help." Sky was trying to stop himself but the words kept on popping out, the words he didn't even mean to say. "Right so. You stupid s---.keep that dirty handkerchief if you wish." She picked up her backpack and started to walk. Sky continued to sit there, pressing down on his face with the handkerchief. "Damn!" he said to himself. "I'm so stupid."  
  
That soccer ball left a huge bruise on his face. He came to school the net day, all bummed out. Ahhhh!! People are going to laugh, he thought. Indeed, John came up to him during lunch and started teasing. "Sky, what's that bruise on your face? It looks pretty bad," "Oh shut your mouth. Leave me alone." "Hey, okay. But really, what happened?" "I got hit by a soccer." Sky was about to explain when he saw Tallie walking towards them two. She stopped, glanced at Sky, and then resumed her attention back to John. "J, here's your lunch." Tallie handed him a box of sandwich. "Ohhhhh!!! Thanks, Tallie! I was starving to death.you didn't had to do that though." John felt good and bad at the same time. "No problem. I best be going now, bye." Tallie headed back to her class. Sky stared at her back for a while. That feeling inside him again started to bother him. He had never felt that way before. When Tallie gave John something she didn't give Sky, the usual response was to hit her or to whine, "what about me?!" but this time his heart was just saddened. It hurt too much "Yo! Snap out of it!!! What're you thinking?" John waved his hand in front of Sky's face. "Oh, oh. What'd you say?" "Gosh, you're weird nowadays. An' way, don't ditch practice tonight, okay? If you do, you best be dead." "All right."  
  
It was late. Sky was extremely tired from all the practicing. They were to wrestle at George Washington H.S. the following week. He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. In his hand he held Tallie's handkerchief. It was clean now, for his mom had washed it. He was very confused. What happened to him? He was always so optimistic and jolly, not worrying about anything. But this time, something just kept on bugging him. Perhaps. "Oh my God!" Sky abruptly got up, silently being amazed. "I do like her. I really do like her!" 


	5. Ch 5

Part V  
  
[Few days later.]  
  
"Tallie, can I talk to you?" a classmate of Tallie, named Melissa, approached her. "Yeah, sure. What's up?" Tallie was glad somebody actually came to talk to her. She didn't have too many friends since she got to high school because she was shy around strangers. "Can.can you give this to." Melissa smiled shyly, handing Tallie an envelope with a pretty design. "What is this?" "Can you give this to Skyler, please?" "Whaaatttttt?!?!" Tallie almost had a heart attack when she heard Melissa. Someone actually likes that idiot?!?! "I hope it's not too much trouble. I mean, even though people say you guys are going together, we all know he don't like you and you don't like him. So I asked him to be my date at the dance this weekend." "But.why don't you just give it to him yourself?" "I can't.my head just spins when I see him. Don't you see his smile? It's the cutest I've ever seen! He's so adorable and I just can't stop but to-" "Okay!!!" Tallie cut Melissa off in the middle. She was getting sick! Adorable?! Cute?! Skyler Dane?! "Fine, I'll give it to him," promised Tallie.  
  
Tallie tried to locate Sky during recess. The idea of seeing him didn't amuse her at all, but maybe it'd be a good way to make Melissa her friend. But where was he? Whenever she didn't want him, he always came to bug her. Now it was the opposite. She needed to see him immediately since the recess was going to be over soon but she couldn't find him. At that moment, she discovered Tommy, one of the other wrestlers. She was introduced to him only once by John. She really needed to hurry back to her class. She had no choice but to hand him the letter. "Um, excuse me. Are you Thomas?" Tommy turned around, a bit surprised. "Uh--- hi. Tallie Anderson, right?" "Ah, yeah. We've met before once." "Yes. What can I do for you, Tal?" Tommy was very kind and helpful. Tallie felt a bit of relief. "I really need to see Sky, but I can't seem to find him. I must go back to my class, so can you do me a favor and give this to him when you see him?" Tallie handed him the letter. "Oh.kay.sure." Tommy hesitated for a second and accepted the letter. "Thank you very much." Tallie said and ran back to her class. Tommy chuckled to himself. A love letter, eh?  
  
"Hey, Sky!!" Tommy waved his hand at Sky as he walked in to the classroom. "Yeah, what's up?" replied Sky. "Somebody must be falling in love with you," teased Tommy. "Haha. That's not real funny. What's that thing in your hand?" "Oh, this? Tallie Anderson asked me to give this to you. A love letter! Yay, Sky has a lover now!" Tommy handed Skyler the letter. Sky's eyes grew big, his face full of surprise. "Tallie? Reeeeaaaalllllly?" Sky was very excited now. "Tommy, it best not be a joke." "What, you think I have time to play wit stuff like this? No way. It was really Tallie," assured Tommy. The teacher came in. Tommy went back to his seat. Skyler carefully stored the letter in his backpack. He was going to read it later. He couldn't believe it. Tallie wrote him a letter!!  
  
Skyler opened the envelope and took out the letter an unfolded it. His heart was pounding hard. He silently began reading. It was a poem, a parodied sonnet of Shakespeare.  
  
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art so fine and delicate, Thy smile melts my heart away. ----------shortened------------- *I'll be looking forward to meet you by the pine tree at the south gate after school today if you agree to be my date at the dance this weekend.  
  
Sky couldn't help but smile. It was so cute!! One thing he didn't understand was that her handwriting was different than the one she normally used. But that did not matter. Sky couldn't think about anything else but meeting Tallie after school. God, the lecture seemed so long, he could hardly wait!!! 


	6. Ch 6

Part VI  
  
As soon as the school was over, Sky stormed out of his classroom. John met him on the way and yelled to his back, "You better not ditch today!!!!!!" Sky ran as fast as he could. The path to the pine tree at the south gate seemed so long and tiring but he finally arrived. To his surprise, no on was there yet. "Hmm, I think I'll wait for a moment." he tried fix his hair but it was still all over the place. He was whistling, checking his watch, doing everything he can think of to kill some time. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around with a big smile on his face. She's here!!! "Hello, Sky." it was Melissa standing there. Sky's smile faded away. He was kind of annoyed and disappointed because someone he was waiting for wasn't there. "Oh, yeah. Hel.hello. Do I know you?" Sky tried to remember where he met her but he couldn't think straight. "Umm, I would assume so," replied Melissa, "since you are out here which implies that you read my letter and agreed to be my date at the dance this weekend." she smiled shyly. "Letter? What letter?" Sky had no idea what she was talking about. "You know.the letter Tallie gave you at school today." Sky gasped. His head was spinning fast. Ahhh!!!! What had he done? He didn't even see the name that was written on the letter. This has to be a misunderstanding.there's no way he's going to take this girl to the dance. "So.you'll be my date, right?" Melissa was unsure so she wanted to confirm it. Sky was so sure that he wanted to turn her down, but he was too kind- hearted to do that. He didn't want to make her all cry and stuff, so he agreed. "Okay, I guess. But I won't be able to spend a lot of time with me 'cause I have to wrestle." "Oh, that's no problem. Thank you!" Melissa was very exited now; she hopped away like a bunny.  
  
Sky was disappointed now. He felt disheartened. A mixture of emotions came through his mind. He wanted to sit down and cry but he didn't even have the energy to do so. It was 4 o'clock already, when the practice would start. He knew John told him not to ditch the practice today, for they had to wrestle in a few days. Yet he started heading back to his own home. Who cares, John can kill him later, he thought.  
  
John, Tommy, and Rick were really angry that Skyler ditched practice again. It was 4:30 and he still hadn't showed up! They tried calling him but he wasn't home. "John, are you sure you told him to come today?" asked Tommy. "What you mean, am I sure? He knows that practice starts at four every single freaking day! We get no days off, if that idiot hasn't realized it yet!" annoyed, John snapped back. "Forget about it. You guys can stay here and practice, I'll go look for him." John got up and put his jacket on. "All right. Just don't kill him too much! He still needs to practice." laughed Tommy. John stepped out of the room, trying to think of where Sky might be.  
  
Sky arrived home. He saw his dad's shoes.he must be home. But Sky wasn't happy at all. His dad was away frequently, and he knew why. Sky's dad was planning a separation from the family. His parents didn't get along very well. He sighed and went upstairs to his room. Soon he could hear his parents arguing. He lied on his bed, with his ears covered with a pillow. He wished it'd stop; it was such a happy family, he didn't know when it started to go wrong. He pretended to be goofy and happy at school but inside, he was crying. He needed someone right this moment, he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't talk to John; John must be mad because he ditched practice again. But he needed someone. All he could think of was Tallie. He picked up the phone and started dialing  
  
Ring~~~~~~~Ring~~~~~~~~ Tallie was about to start her homework when the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?" "Hi." The voice on the other side sounded quite familiar but for a second she couldn't recognize it. "Uh.may I ask who this is?" questioned Tallie carefully. "Why, you don't even know my voice? Sky." "Oh, okay. What's up?" Tallie was a bit annoyed. Why was he calling her? "Umm, I need to talk to you." "You talking to me right now, aren't you?" said Tallie coldly. "Naw, I mean.can I meet you outside? Its' kinda important.at the playground, if you can." Tallie was now curious. It must be pretty important and he sounded quite serious. Serious=Sky: the two words usually didn't go together so it must be something. So she agreed. "All right. Sure." 


	7. Ch 7

Part VII  
  
Sky was leaning against the wall when Tallie spotted him. She went up to him. "Kay, this better be good," said Tallie. Sky looked up, right at her face. Gosh, she looks so pretty, he thought. Who would've known he'd ever fall in love with her? He was dazed. Why her, though? She liked his best friend.but right now, he really needed her. He was too hurt to be alone. "Well, hello? Aren't you going to tell me why you wanted to talk to me?" she waved her hand in front of his face. "Oh, yeah. Sorry," Sky finally snapped out into reality. "If you ain't gonna talk, I must leave now." Tallie turned around and started walking. "No, don't leave!" Sky exclaimed and ran to grab her wrist. Her eyes widened. "Wha." "Please, don' leave. Stay with me, Tallie." Sky twisted her wrist hard, for he feared that if he let it go, she'd leave. "Skyler, you're hurting me. Let me go." Tallie was starting to get scared. She had never seen him so grave before. What was wrong with him?! Skyler gently pressed her against the wall. He had no idea what he was doing. All he could think about was how pretty she looked and how much he liked her. Maybe she could make him forget about his problems. In the midst of that thought, he started leaning towards her. "Sky, what're you doing? Get away from me!" Tallie was so shocked by his actions that she stood still. Her heart was pounding hard, she was frightened now. She kept on repeating John's name in her mind, asking for his help like she always did. But she couldn't get the words out.she closed her eyes hard, afraid of what Sky was going to do to her. Suddenly, she felt something pressing on her lips.  
  
Skyler had kissed her. It was only for a second, but to her, it seemed like forever. This must be a nightmare, she thought. This can't be happening!! What just happened here? Sky was surprised himself. 'F---, what have I done? I just kissed her!! She must really hate me now.' He slowly lifted his hand off her shoulder. Tallie stood there for a moment, her head down. A tear started rolling down her cheek, falling onto the ground. 'Damn, I made her cry!' Skyler thought to himself. 'What do I do now?' John was still looking for Sky. He stopped by every place he could think of, but he couldn't find Sky. He was on his way back to Tommy's house when he saw Tallie and Sky at the playground. "Yoooooooo!!! What in the world are you doing here, Skyler Dane?" John shouted, running towards them. Anger had reached to top his head. Tallie was so relived when she saw John. She was crying uncontrollably now. John noticed that she was crying. "Tallie? What's wrong? Are you all right?" he turned to question Sky, "What the hell did you do to her, Sky?" Skyler couldn't answer that question. Instead, he started running away. He felt so ashamed of himself. John wanted to catch him but he couldn't leave Tallie alone. He tried to comfort her, but all she did was just crying. "Here, I'll walk you home. Come on." He put his arm around her and they slowly started walking.  
  
Tallie had stopped crying. She was much calmer by the presence of John. Just like the old days, he came to save her once more. "Why won't you tell me what he did to you?" asked John. "I'll go beat the s--- out of him for you." "It's okay," replied Tallie, "He didn't do anything. Really." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I really am," assured Tallie. There was no good to be done telling John what happened. John sensed that she wanted to change the issue, so he decided to change the subject. "So.are you coming to the dance this weekend?" asked John. "Dance.what's that? I heard people talking about it but I'm not sure what it's all about." "Oh, its just a dance. Every high school, I think, has it around some time in May. They have food there; obviously, it's more of an outdoor dance party, sort of. Seniors can go free, you guys can come but only with a date." Explained John. "I reckon I'm not going then," said Tallie, "since I don't have a date." "Ah, that's too bad.you have to see the band performing! They were awesome last year!" John said with an excitement. "I'm sorry, J. I really wanna go, but I don't got no one to go with." "Hmm, here's what, then. How about if I be your date? And you can catch me wrestling before it." John quickly suggested a plan. He really wanted her to see him wrestle. "For real?" Tallie's eyes sparkled. John was going to take her to the dance! Of course she'd go if that were the case. "Sure, why not? But don't expect to spend too much time at the dance since we start wrestling the same time as the dance." "Kay!" Tallie was very happy. She could just well forget about what happened with Sky earlier. 


	8. Ch 8

Part VIII  
  
[8 PM, Saturday, at the dance.]  
  
Tallie left her house, all dressed up. She didn't know how to impress a guy so she just put on some decent clothes that matched. But at least she tried.she was feeling absolutely the best in the whole world that evening. She arrived at school on time, right when it about to begin, she met John and they went in to the gym. She had no idea what wrestling was all about because she had never seen them wrestle before. They were on the floor now, an opportunity for her to see what John was talking about. But for some reason, her attention kept on shifting to Sky who was wrestling first. It seemed like Sky put his whole soul into it. Tallie was seeing a whole new side of naughty boy Skyler Dane. But then again, she thought about what that bastard did to her few days ago. He stole her first kiss ever! She wanted to receive it from a handsome, fine, tall guy of her dreams when she grew up. Not some short monster that used to beat her up all the time. She got angry all over again, and resumed her attention back to John and others, trying to ignore Sky as much as possible.  
  
After they were done, people cheered. Tallie herself was amazed as well. John came out of the locker room and came up to her. "Sooo.what did you think?" John scratched his head, asking shyly. "J, you guys were so awesome! I had no idea.I guess all those hours of practicing really paid off!" "Naw, we still have a long way to go. This is a secret but." John leaned closer to her and whispered, "We contacted Vince McMahon from the WWE." "Wow, for real?" Tallie was astonished. "We didn't got the call back yet, but I hope it all works out all right. Gosh, I'm so thirsty!" John was sweating like crazy. At that moment, he finally noticed that Tallie was nicely dressed, with a blue flare skirt and white shirt. It was simple but cute. "Oh, I forgot to say this. You look.real nice today." John noticed that his heart was beating fast. "Thank you. Did you say you were thirsty? I'll go get something to drink if you want." offered Tallie. "Sure, I'll be over there talking to the guys. Thanks!" John smiled and walked away. That heart pounding moment disappeared. He knew inside that he shouldn't feel like that.  
  
Meanwhile, Melissa and Sky were standing in the line for food. Sky was trying to find John and the others but they took off right away! Darn it, now I'm stuck with her alone, he thought. "Sky, you were so awesome up there," complimented Melissa. "Oh, thank you," replied Skyler. "Can you excuse me for a sec? I must go talk to a friend of mine over there," Melissa requested. "Oh, yeah. Sure, go right ahead. Take your time!" Sky was now content that he got rid of her for a moment. Just then he saw Tallie standing in the line next to his, for the sodas. She must have noticed him too, for she turned around and their eyes met. Sky's face turned bright red, not knowing what to say. They both felt very awkward. They haven't talked to each other since that incident. 'I have to apologize to her,' he thought. Tallie was blushing as she saw Skyler but she tried not to make it noticeable. She turned away as the line moved up. 'God, she must really be mad at me, I'm not surprised.' Sky was caught in a desperate desire to apologize, but he didn't know how. Too late, she had gotten out of the line with her drink already.  
  
John and Tallie were talking about many things as John was trying to finish the drink. Tallie was glad that she came; it's been quite some years since they had a "real" conversation. Right when he finished his drink, a slow song came on, one by Trace Adkins. "Perhaps you'd like to dance wit me?" John offered her his hand. "Sure." Tallie held his hand and moved closer to him.  
  
"Sky, would you like to dance?" asked Melissa. 'No way,' thought Sky, but dared not to say so. "Sure why not." Sky pulled Melissa towards him and got in a slow dance position. He looked around, trying not to meet her eyes. He spotted Tallie dancing with John at that moment; he couldn't help but to keep staring at them two. She looked so happy in John's arms. He thought about how he could make Tallie as happy, but it seemed that everything he did to her was wrong and bad. "Umm.will you go out wit me?" Sky was thinking too hard that he didn't even realize Melissa was talking to him. "Yeah.what, what?" Sky shifted his attention back to his own girl in his arms. "I said would you go out wit me?" Melissa felt uncomfortable about having to repeat the same line. Sky knew that this was going too far, and that he had to turn her down then. He carefully thought out a line, and replied, "No, I'm already taken." "By who?" surprised, Melissa inquired, "is it Tallie Anderson?" Sky felt like saying yes, but he knew he shouldn't. "No, it's not Tallie," he said, "Rather, it's someone else. She's very pretty and I see her everyday.in my dreams. But I can't touch her. She's too far away. I only think about her. Melissa, you're a very nice girl and I'm sure you can find someone else more compatible to you. You don't deserve a loser like me." Skyler was imagining Tallie in his mind. "Okay, I guess," said Melissa, "Well, the song's over. I had a great day. Thanks for everything!" Melissa smiled and walked away. Skyler stared at her back for a few seconds, then quietly murmured to himself, "Yes, it's Tallie. She's the angel in my dreams." 


	9. Ch 9

Part IX  
  
[Few weeks later, in June '93]  
  
Tallie's 16th b-day was rapidly approaching. It was June the 19th. It was traditional for Tallie to do something fun with John on her birthday ever since they met 12 years ago, but that stopped when John entered junior high. So it's been quite a while since Tallie just spent her birthday like one of her typically pedantic days. It was better that way anyhow, though, because Sky always came to spoil the event for her anyways. Every single year, without an exception, Sky appeared from nowhere and bugged her on her birthday. But this year, it will be different. John invited her to a diner for the night of her birthday. She somehow knew that Sky wouldn't be able to come and ruin it for her this year. Not after what he did to her.  
  
Skyler was in his room, looking at Tallie's handkerchief. He still hadn't given it back to her. He was aware that her birthday was only in 2 days. He really wanted to give her something, both as a sign of apology and love. Then he suddenly remembered that Tallie absolutely loved teddy bears. He only knew that because he was the one who'd always be stepping on her teddy bears, ripping out their arms and legs, leaving Tallie to cry hysterically. This might be a time to make up for all those lives of teddy bears he killed. He lightly laughed to himself. A gift idea has just been formed.  
  
---The evening of Tallie's birthday, June 19th-----  
  
"Thanks for taking me out to dinner, J." Tallie thanked John. She had the most wonderful time and she was very happy. John walked her home and they were now standing outside her house. "Oh, no prob," John shrugged.  
  
Skyler had his gift nicely wrapped, ready to deliver it to her. He also took the handkerchief with him so he could return it. He left his house, heading towards Tallie's. He was whistling and humming, but also worrying inside. Would she accept his apology? He sure hoped so. Just as he turned around the corner leading to Tallie's house.  
  
"Good night, Tallie." John gently kissed her forehead. It was an innocent and sincere kiss, but apparently, to Sky.it was more than that. He gasped and leaned against the corner wall, trying to hide. He heard the door closing, and he sensed that John was walking away to the other direction. He wanted to cry, but it pained him that he couldn't. No tears were coming out of his eyes. He headed back to his home.  
  
Tallie went up to her bedroom and sat on her bed. She carefully rubbed her forehead, thinking of what John said.  
  
"I like you so much, Tallie. So much that I wish you were my real sister."  
  
That was it, she thought. John only thought of her as a sister, but nothing more. To her surprise, she wasn't very hurt. Maybe she, too, only thought of him as a brother and nothing more. Or maybe not. She was confused. Did she really like him?  
  
[Next day----] Ring~~~~~~Ring~~~~~~~~ "God, who is it?" Skyler was trying to sleep in late that morning. It was a non-school day, for God's sake! He glanced at the alarm clock. 7am! "What do you want?!" he picked up the phone, his face still in the pillow. "Yo!!! Sky, wake up, will you? It's good news!!" Oh, it was Rick. He sounded so excited. "Rick.it's you. Okay it better be good." Sky was having a little headache.he thought too much about Tallie before he went to bed last night. "Vince McMahon called this morning.he asked us to come to New York so he can check us out!!!!" Rick was practically screaming in the phone. "Whaaaatttttttt??!!?!" Sky jumped out of his bed at once. He couldn't believe it. It was almost like a dream come true!!! "I'm gonna call John now, come to Tommy's house, okay? See you soon!" Rick abruptly hung up. Skyler still couldn't believe it. He held the receiver in his hand, staring at it. Realizing what had just went on, he hung up the phone and started jumping on his bed. "Whooooooo!! Yes!! Whooooooo!!" 


	10. Ch 10

Part X  
  
Summer came and passed. All Tallie heard was that the guys went to New York. And she later heard from Tommy and Rick that only John and Skyler recruited. But Tommy and Rick seemed pretty casual about it.they said they didn't want to go pro anyway. Tallie was happy for John.and maybe for Sky, slightly.  
  
The days at George Washington High weren't the same anymore for Tallie. She developed a tendency to stare at the classroom door everyday when recess came, hoping that someone was standing there, ready to bug her.  
  
"Tallie-girl!"  
  
She hated to admit that she somehow missed Skyler. She was still angry with him for what he did; to him, it was probably a joke, just playing around with a poor girl who happens to be his favorite toy since childhood. But to her, it meant more than that. She could still remember how it felt when his lips gently brushed against hers that night. Now that she thought of it, she might have liked it.perhaps, she thought, she liked him more than she knew. Maybe.  
  
[May 2001]  
  
Years have gone by. Tallie became a junior, then graduated high school. She had a job now. She hardly saw John and Sky anymore; they were finished with training and wrestled full time for the WWE. They only came to Boston on holidays and went back on the road immediately. Did it matter, though? They were getting more popular each day; girls at school were crazy about them. They had fans all over the country, John and Sky might as well just forget about a girl named Tallie. She no longer existed in their lives, she thought.  
  
Ding~Ding~  
  
Tallie quickly ran downstairs to answer the door. She opened it with not much thought.to her surprise, Sky was standing there. He had his baseball cap on to cover his face so no one could recognize him. Tallie was stunned for a while.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" Skyler finally broke the silence. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, come in." Tallie led his way in.  
  
They sat down on sofa, very awkwardly looking at each other. Tallie was happy to see him, but she didn't know what to say. "Umm, where's John?" asked Tallie. "He's still in New York. Only I'm here." Replied Sky. "Oh, okay. Well, so how're you?" "Fine. How're you? Doing okay? Did you see our debut matches on the show? How were we? Did you see us wrestle in the PPVs yet? We still need work, but ain't we the bomb? You know, John and I made up all the finishing moves. I know you don't watch that stuff but you should sometime.WWE is real cool and everyone is real nice to us. Why don't you come to one of the shows later? I'll give you a backstage pass." "Whoa! Slow, there!" said Tallie. "Oh, sorry," laughed Sky. Now everything seemed comfortable and back to normal. Tallie began laughing too.  
  
"So what're you doing in Boston, anyway? We had no tests recently." Said Tallie. "Family thing. And I also came to give you something'," replied Sky. He searched his pocket and took out a handkerchief. "Here." "Oh, this is.you still had it?" Tallie's eyes widened. "Of course.sorry I didn't give it back sooner. I better leave now, Tal. It was real nice seeing you." Sky stood up. "Yeah. Wait! I have to give you something." Skyler stood still, watching Tallie unlocking her necklace. She took his hand and put the necklace in it. "Here.this is a good luck from me. I hope you guys become #1 soon. Even though I have no idea what wrestling is all about." Tallie smiled shyly. Skyler was deeply touched. The necklace had been something she always treasured since she was little; he knew that better than anyone else. It was just plain and simple gold, but it had its elegance. "Thanks Tallie," said Sky as he leaned towards her. He whispered in her ear.  
  
"I still like you." 


	11. Ch 11

Part XI  
  
[Back to present, January of '03]  
  
Now that necklace was gone. Sky searched everywhere.but it wasn't there!! "Shoot, what do I do?" Sky realized that he was gonna be late for the show again.so he gave up the search and hurried out.  
  
He wore Tallie's necklace 24/7. He took a long bath the night before and because he feared that the necklace might be ruined if too wet, he took it off and put it by the tub.he searched for it but he couldn't find it. He couldn't stop thinking about the necklace even when he was wrestling.he messed up many of his moves because of it.  
  
[After the match]  
  
"Hey, what was wrong with you today, man?" Kelly approached Sky while they were getting ready to leave the waiting room. "Oh, I'm real sorry about that," replied Sky, "my mind is just somewhere else today. Sorry I messed up." "That happens sometimes, really no problem," said Jim. "Yeah, man. Just don't do it next time," added Brian. But John gave Skyler a weird glare. John sensed something else, he knew Sky too well. He knew there had to be something really important that was bothering Sky.  
  
They reached the hotel. All six of them were staying there for the next few days since they have some shows in the same city. It was quite a nice place and also well hidden so fans wouldn't find it so easily. Larry and Kelly stormed into their room, fighting for who's gonna get the shower first. Kelly won the debate after all.  
  
"Hey, what's this?" thought Kelly when he discovered a shiny object stuck on the tile right by the tub in the bathroom. He picked it up, observing it carefully. "A necklace, huh? Doesn't look like the one J is wearing.oh well." Kelly decided to keep it to himself for a while. Sky never wore his necklace so it would be visible outside, so no one had a clue about whether he was wearing one or not.  
  
"Yo, Sky, can I talk to you?" asked John while Sky was making his bed. "All right, sure. What's up?" replied Sky. "Well.about." John hesitated to speak. "Yeah, what? About?" "About.Tallie." Sky stood up, his eyes looking directly in John's. "Tallie?" said Sky, "what about her?" "I mean.just.have you talked to her lately?" "Not really," replied Sky. "Umm.do you still.still like her though?" carefully asked John. Sky was trying to think for an answer. He undoubtedly wanted to say yes, but he couldn't get that scene off his mind still.when John kissed Tallie's forehead on her birthday. He had been wanting to question John about that incident but he was very unsure if he should or not.he was silent for a moment, then finally gave his answer. "Yeah man." "Have you told her how you feel about her?" "Yes." "What'd she say about that?" Sky was now reminded of that day again.the day he visited her and gave back her handkerchief. He confessed then to her that he still liked her.  
  
"I still like you." "...." "If you thought what I did to you that day.at the playground.was a joke, well, it wasn't. I did that 'cause I like you. You might think it's funny and ridiculous, how a boy that used to hit you and tease you all the time is now confessing his crush on you he had for a while, but it took me a lot of courage to say this." "...." "I'm sorry though. I do owe you an apology. But just know this for sure: I really do like you."  
  
Sky leaned down and kissed her forehead. Tallie didn't object. She was silent the whole time. Her face was expressionless, neither too sad nor too happy. Was it possible that she was beginning to like him, too? He wondered to himself. Now he started to think about her response again when John brought it up.  
  
"So she didn't exactly give you a definite answer as to whether she likes you or not?" asked John "Nope. But I still have a chance, don't I?" smiled Sky as he replied. John stood silent for a moment. Sky continued to make his bed, whistling. John finally spoke again. ".I don' like what she doing to you, Sky." Skyler stopped making his bed, turned around. He stared hard at John, wondering what he was talking about. "What do you mean by that?" questioned Sky. "I mean, I don' like the way she's changing you," answered John. "What do you mean, she's changing me?" Sky now had a slight anger in his tone as he spoke, "It's still the same ol' me. I don't know what you mean by that. What, just because I like her? I ain't changed a bit."  
  
"Yeah man, you have," John talked back, "I don't know when, but since you started liking her, you changed. I know you have a family thing going on, but even then, you weren't like this. You used to laugh all the time, always funny and joyful. But look at you now! You hardly smile if not in front of a camera; and think about what you did today during your match. You made a whole bunch of noticeable mistakes; I bet you were probably thinking about her again! Why do you have to be so serious about her?"  
  
"It's really none of your damn business." Sky was raising his voice. He didn't want to admit that John was right: Tallie was changing him. "Yeah man, it is! If it's going to affect just you, I could care less. But what if something like today happens again? And one of us in the ring? We could get seriously hurt! It's going to affect all of WWE. Did you forget about how we worked our asses off to get here?!? I better talk to her about what she's doing." "Talk to her about what?!" Sky was almost close to yelling but he tried to control himself. "What did she ever do? It's only me!" "No, Sky, it's not only you. She might be the potential cause of what will happen; something like what happened today. I can't believe you messed up like that. You're a star now, you have to realize that. You have fans, too. You can't disappoint them, you know." "Being a wrestler and liking her is entirely different," said Sky, in much more calm voice. "How can you talk about her like that? I know you like her too!" "What?!?!" exclaimed John. "I what?!" "Don't try to hide it, John Cena. I know it all. I saw you kissing her in front of her house on her birthday." "Oh, my God!! You thought I." John couldn't finish his sentence. "Well, I don't know why you haven't told me about that but I probably like her more than you do, so what I do with her is none of your business. If I really like her, I don't care if you go for her or not although it might arouse some competition." Sky slightly laughed to himself.  
  
"That was only an innocent kiss!!!" exclaimed John. "She's nothing more than just a sister to me. It's been like that for the past.I dunno how many years." "Oh, really?!" said Sky, surprised. And the whole time he thought that John liked her too! "Oh, gee. I feel so stupid now. But anyhow, like I said, what I do with her is none of your concern. So end of the discussion, I'm f------ tired now. Why don't you go to bed?" Sky finished up making his bed.  
  
John didn't know what to say. Why was Skyler being so stubborn? "Why are you so hung up on Tallie anyway, Sky?" continued John. "You beat her up all the time as we grew up. She always came to me, crying, with bruises all over her. Now, because you think you matured a teeny bit, you think she'll like you back? After all you did to her? Snap out of your dreams, Sky. You don't stand a chance. She'll never like you back, not in your life time!"  
  
Sky stopped, froze still. '.She won't like me back, I know that already. So don't tell me! Please!' he was screaming inside. 'Oh, s---. I shouldn't have said that!' John desperately thought to himself. "Sky.I didn't really mean that. I'm sorry. Forget I said that -" Suddenly, John felt something pounding his face. Sky had turned around and punched him hard, right in his left cheek 


	12. Ch 12

Part XII  
  
"Oh, so why isn't our man John here today?" Jay Leno on the Tonight Show wondered why John Cena wasn't among his guests. "Well, he's kinda ill now," Jim, like a leader, stepped forward and answered the question. "Yeah, like Jim said, J is not feeling very well, so please pray for him!" Kelly explained to Jay.  
  
[After the show]  
  
"Whew!! That was nerve-racking, let me tell you!" said Brian. "Tell me about it. John? Not feeling well? Yeah right!" also said Jim. "Yes, and I wonder who left a bruise on his face that even the makeup wouldn't cover," said Larry sarcastically, glaring at Sky. Sky remained silent. "I know. Sky, why did you guys fight like that? I think as a fellow wrestler, I have a right to know." asked Jim. "I'm sorry, man.I'd rather not have all y'all know." Sky's voice trailed off. "I can understand that. Just don't fight like that from now on. You guys are best friends. And us, too. All six of us have to stick together, always." Said Jim, trying to drop the subject.  
  
But everyone remembered what seemed to happen that day. After Sky threw his punch and John, John ran out of his room, covering the area he hit. Brian discovered him first and asked him what was wrong, and the next thing he could hear was Sky screaming in his room:  
  
"Don't ever mention her in front of me again!"  
  
By then, everyone came out of their rooms to see what was going on. Apparently, Sky hit John in the face after some sort of argument they had. Everyone did hear what Sky was screaming about. That 'her' must be someone he liked back in Boston.but no one knew because neither Sky nor John talked about her.  
  
Sky knew for himself that hitting his best friend was terribly wrong. He had lost his temper badly, for the first time ever. They fought a lot since they were little, but never a fistfight. Sky apologized the day after and John did accept his apology, for he knew what he said hurt Skyler's feelings greatly. But there still was some kind of tension between them two. John's face was so badly bruised that even the makeup couldn't cover it. So he gave up going to the Tonight Show and stayed home.  
  
'God, what's happening to me?' Sky thought to himself as they were on their way to the hotel. Ever since he started liking Tallie, everything changed. Even his own personality. He wanted to become a better guy, but all he ended up doing was kissing her against her will, messing up in the ring, and hitting his best friend. His feelings were aggravated whenever he thought about the necklace he lost: he had no idea Kelly had it.  
  
[February]  
  
John and Skyler went back to Boston in time to celebrate Tommy's debut as a wrestler. He was wrestling for an independent promotion now. He got into a good college, but with wrestling doing as great as it was for him, he decided it would have to wait.  
  
Tommy's family had a gathering in the park, which was boring and rather disappointing: John and Sky struggled to keep the fans from breaking it up. Consequently, they had to hide in Tommy's parents' house, not being able to attend the actual celebration. What a day! But them and other guys were eagerly anticipating something else: a PARTY!!! Sky was throwing a celebration party at his house because his parents are going to be out for the next couple of days.  
  
"Hello, Tallie?" "Oh, hi. When did you guys come back to Boston?" "Just yesterday.anyhow, me and the other guys are gonna have a party at my house tomorrow night and I was wondering if you wanna come." "Hmm, a party.I could use some entertainment, I guess. But would I be the only girl there?" "Yeah.don't worry, we won' bite. You have to cook for us, though." "Oh, be quiet. Okay, I'll be there."  
  
[At the party]  
  
"Hey, you want some beer?" Tommy offered Tallie a drink. "Oh, you guys know I don't drink." "Stop it, Tommy!" Rick interrupted, smiling at Tallie. "It's only tea. Quit joking you dork!" "Okay, okay!! Gee.oh, John has been awful quiet this evening, aren't you happy your number one man finally made it?" "Yeah." replied John quietly. "John, you okay? You don't seem too good." Tallie felt his forehead. "you don't have a fever or anything." "I'm just a bit tired. Sky, thanks for the party. I better leave now though." John stood up, putting his coat on. "Oh, okay. Just get a lot of rest tonight. Here, I'll walk you out." Sky got up as well. The two of them stepped out of the house.  
  
"Are you still mad at me?" Sky asked John as they were walking slowly in the yard. "Not really. I hope you ain't mad at me either." John weakly smiled. He was awfully tired. "That's enough, you should go back in." "All right then. Good night J." "Yeah, you too. Oh, keep your hands off Tallie, k?" laughed John. "Oh, shut up." Replied Sky as he slapped his best friend's back and went back in the house. 


	13. Ch 13

Part XIII  
  
Around 9:30ish, everyone left except Tallie. She stayed to help Sky clean up. "Wow, that was fun. I think I should become a wrestler too!" she sat on the sofa and stretched. "Well, you only have to work really hard for the next 25 years!" said Sky as he sat next to her. "I'm so tired, but I have to go to work tomorrow.God, it's not fair! You guys don't have to work odd jobs anymore." Tallie rubbed her eyes. "Why didn't you go to college, then?" "Oh, I worked so hard in high school, I wanted a break. Who knew it would last 6 years!" "Do you want some coffee?" "Oh, sure, why not?" "Okay then." Sky got up and walked into the kitchen.  
  
But when he got back with a cup of coffee in his hand, he found her sleeping already on the sofa. He put the cup down on a table and quietly sat next to her, fearing that he'd wake her up.  
  
'She looks so cute.' he thought to himself as he stared hard at her face. She was leaning against her arm, sitting in a very uncomfortable position.  
  
'She must be very tired.' He then noticed that her long bangs were coming down on her face. He stretched his hand to fix her hair, but stopped immediately.  
  
'No, you can't touch her. Skyler Dane, don't even think about it! Urrr.' he couldn't help but to put her hair back in place, carefully tucking it behind her ear.  
  
'What a fool.to fall asleep in the house with a guy alone.Tallie-girl, don't blame me for all this.' He continued fixing her hair until it didn't come down on her face anymore. The he held a handful of her soft hair.it was the softest thing he ever touched. He began rubbing it against his cheek.  
  
'I love you Tallie. I really do.'  
  
He then was tempted to kiss her, but he was fighting hard with his conscience not to. 'Don't do it, don't do it! Skyler Dane, you are the biggest asshole in this world, be ashamed of yourself! No.' he could no longer control himself. He began leaning towards her. Just then, he noticed that she was shuddering.he stopped and sat up straight, still looking at her.  
  
'She must be cold.' he got up and went upstairs to get some blankets. He put it on her and sat next to her. He was beginning to feel tired himself. He started falling asleep not long after.  
  
"Oh, shoot!! What time is it?!" Tallie woke up in panic. She noticed that she was still at Skyler's house. "Oh, what time is it?" Sky woke up as well, stretching his arms. They both glanced at a clock. "6 AM!!" they exclaimed simultaneously, then looked at each other. Their faces turned red, in the thought that they slept on the same couch. Tallie got up and hurriedly put on her coat. "I better leave now. My boss is going to kill me!" "Hold on, I'll walk you home. It's still dark out there," Sky fixed his hair and put on his coat.  
  
They both didn't say anything as they were walking down the street. Tallie was thinking to herself, Sky was wondering what she was thinking about.  
  
"What are you thinking?" "Oh, nothing much," replied Tallie. "I was just thinking about.how you and John never call me when you're on the road and such," Tallie sighed and stared at the sky. "I'm sorry.we're very busy, we don't even have time to breathe." Sky scratched his head as he tried to justify himself. But he felt bad inside. "Oh, it's okay. You guys are superstars now, so you probably won't have time for someone like me anyway.all the fans you guys have, it's almost unbelievable!! I never thought you, of all the people, would become a wrestler now that I think of it.and John, too. You guys might as well forget me now.I miss you guys a lot, the ol' ones. "Monstrous Skyler Dane" who used to beat me up all the time.even him." Tallie spoke quietly in a monotone. Sky could sense a disappointment in her voice. "No, don't say that!" said Sky. "You mean much more to us than that. Yeah, fans are great and all, but you've been my quote-unquote friend for almost 20 years now, so please don't say that." Tallie looked at him, puzzled. Sky continued. "Besides.I still." "Yes?" Tallie knew what he was going to say and she wanted him to say it. She had a line prepared for him. "I still." Skyler started turning red. They both stopped walking when they reached her house "I gotta go in now." Tallie took her keys out.  
  
"I still like you!! There." Sky sighed. He was embarrassed now. Tallie secretly smiled to herself. 'Now she's gonna turn me down---it's okay, Sky. You are prepared for that.' Sky thought to himself as he was taking a deep breath.  
  
At that moment, she turned around, smiling. She asked him, "Are you going to ever hit me again?" "Naw!! Of course not!!" Sky was surprised. 'What kind of question is this?!' "Are you going to ever tease me 'bout how ugly I am again?" "Naw, not at all!! In fact you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Tallie laughed. "Yeah, right. What a liar!" "No, really. But more than that.just looking at you makes me happy. You're the source of my happiness."  
  
Tallie was deeply touched. She couldn't help but to step up to him and kiss his cheek. 'What just happened here?' Skyler thought to himself, stunned. She then whispered in his ear.  
  
"I think I like you too, Sky."  
  
Skyler couldn't believe what he was hearing. Is this a dream or what?  
  
"Bye!" Tallie inserted the key in the lock, trying to turn it open. "Wait!!" Sky stopped her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. He then put his other arm around her waist. "What the." without even a chance to object, Sky kissed her once again. It was the second time he ever did that. This time they kissed for a long while.the sun slowly began to rise. 


	14. Ch 14

Part XIV  
  
[One year later]  
  
It was Valentine's Day. Tallie and Sky were on a date, just walking on the street. Sky covered his face with a hat so people wouldn't notice him. He didn't want this happy moment to be interrupted by anyone.  
  
He had his arm wrapped around her. Her head was leaning against his shoulder. He could still remember the day everything happened.how she kissed him and how she told him that she liked him. It was all like a dream come true and he didn't know what else could be better. Just having her in his arms.  
  
"I'm so glad you got into NYU," said Skyler as they were walking. "Yeah.I studied so hard for the entrance exam. Day and night!" replied Tallie. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm glad because." "Because.?" "Now that you moved to New York, I'll get to see more of you from now on. I missed you so much in the past 3 months you were in Boston. But now I can see you whenever I want! I.like you so much that even when I see you, I still miss you."  
  
"Aww.that is so sweet. I really missed you, too. More than you can ever imagine." Tallie always wondered how he turned out to love her so much. And how she turned out to love him so much. The days when he used to make fun of her were still clear in her memories; whenever she thought about those moments, she couldn't help but smile.  
  
"I don't think things can get any better than they are already," said Sky. "I know.your parents finally got back together! And you finally have the WWE championship for more than 3 weeks, aren't you happy about that?" "Of course, and one more thing, I now have you!"  
  
They stopped walking. They were still in the middle of the crowded street. "I feel bad 'cause I lost that necklace you gave me. God, how can Kelly accidentally flush it down the toilet?! What a dork.I'm sorry." Said Sky. "Oh, it's okay. I have something better to give you anyway, so." "Something better?!" "Yes. You've my heart now." "Hey, that's my line!"  
  
Sky was so touched by her sweetness. He leaned over to kiss her.  
  
"What're you doing?! We are in the middle of the street!" Tallie whispered, getting all embarrassed.  
  
"So what?! Can't I not even kiss my girlfriend? I'm a guy too, you know."  
  
Just when they were about to.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's Skyler!!!!!!!!"  
  
'Oh shoot!' some girl must have noticed him from a distance. She obviously caught other people's attention, making them go crazy.  
  
"Sky!!!! The WWE Champion-------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Now the girls were chasing after him. Sky quickly grabbed Tallie's hand tightly, and yelled in panic:  
  
"RUN!!!!!!!"  
  
And they were running like crazy. The people were running like crazy. The whole street turned into some kind of battlefield. Sky and Tallie ran and ran, and turned the corner of the street. A white Mercedes pulled over by them. Sky shouted in relief,  
  
"JIM!!!! SAVE US!!!"  
  
Kelly was sitting in the front. He rolled down the window and yelled, "Dude!!! Get in! Hurry!"  
  
Skyler and Tallie literally jumped into the car. Jim took off as fast as he could ever drive. He just loved moments like this.  
  
"Haha!! You reeeaaallly need to develop some running skills, Sky!" teased Jim. This was going to cause some fuss over the fans, he thought. But it was just too funny. "Oh, shut up!" cried Sky, frowning. "what're ye guys doing out?" "It's Valentine's Day, we're out on a date, a la Billy and Chuck!! Just kidding, we're just shopping. Eye shopping, I meant. Today is not a good day to be out. You should've known that," replied Kelly, in a teasing manner. "Thank you very much for saving us, Jim and Kelly," said Tallie, still breathing hard. "Oh, no prob. How about celebrating group Valentine? Brian, Larry, and John are having some kinda party at home," said Jim, still laughing. "I reckon they were smart. Staying home to be safe, huh?" commented Sky. But he wanted to be alone with her.it was Valentine's Day!!! "Oh well.okay, home it is. But I am not very happy!" whined Sky. Then he leaned on Tallie's shoulder.he loved leaning against her. It brought him such comfort and pleasure.especially when he felt down and depressed.  
  
"Kelly Wells, I'm still mad at you for flushing my necklace down the toilet! How could you~urrr!!" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Get over it already, will you?! I knew I shouldn't have said something about it," apologized Kelly, still laughing.  
  
They arrived home. It was their new home, to be more specific. They moved to New York permanently and were all living together. Still, the place was nice.  
  
"Tallie-girl! You here!" greeted John as he opened the door. "Stupid Sky must have dragged you out places, huh? We were just about to eat some pizza." "Hey, who're you calling stupid?!" objected Sky. "You are getting prettier everyday, Tallie," complemented Brian, "I wonder how Sky could've ever teased you about being so ugly.you are really quite attractive." Tallie smiled lightly. Sky gave him a quick dirty look and replied, "Don't start hitting on her like that, Brian. I know you don't like girls that don't wear too much makeup. Tallie has a natural beauty so she doesn't need to look like bozo the clown. Definitely not your type, huh? Though I really do feel a strong need for you to raise your standards-" "Okay, okay! Gee.how would you stand him if he marries you, Tallie? He's so possessive.tsk, tsk," said Larry. "Hmm.I really never thought about marrying him, actually," replied Tallie, still smiling. Sky's eyes grew wide. "Whaatttt?! You don' wanna marry me? I'm now hurt." Sky pretended to stab himself in his chest, to portray his fake pain. "No, Sky, I meant I'm too young to think about it.I'm only 25!" John interrupted, "Yeah, besides, she can't marry ye without my permission first, Skyler Dane. So keep on dreaming! Ha ha." "What?! What do you have to do with this?" question Sky. "You know, I'm her brother," replied John. Sky continued, "But you ain't even her real brother!" "Uh~ you're forgetting something important, Skyler. If I didn't block you from mutilating and torturing her when we were little, she wouldn't even be in one piece by now."  
  
Everyone started laughing. Sky's face crumpled up because he hated to admit that it was true. He quickly shifted the subject.  
  
"What kinda party is this, Jim! Huh, huh?!" complained Sky. "Pizza party?! Today?! I hate you all!!!" "Stop complaining will you? Just go to your room then if you don't wanna eat, Skyler!" said Jim. "Fine! C'mon, Tallie-girl. Let's go to my room!" Skyler grabbed her arm. "Wait, I want some pizza too." without even a chance to object, Sky grabbed her and went into his room, slamming the door shut. "Just don't make any moves on her!" yelled Kelly, laughing. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!" shouted Sky in his room.  
  
"Uh, John, where are you going? No pizza?!?! You are resisting food?!! My God!!!" John was putting his coat on, getting ready to go somewhere. Larry's jaw dropped open. "Nowhere. Just to get some fresh air." The he went out quietly. He went outside their house, by a playground, it reminded him of Boston. There he could see the window of Skyler's room. He continued looking at it. He then took an object from his coat pocket. It was a ring. He sighed as he clenched the ring tightly. He silently spoke to himself.  
  
"I reckon I don't need this anymore." 


	15. Ch 15

Part XV Epilogue  
  
Today I had to let go of my princess. As I saw her happy in his arms, I knew it was time for me to give her up. They love each other and I just could sense it so well. It's been a long time.  
  
I don't know where it started. One day I just happened to see this girl.looking at the sky with such sad eyes. Since then, I knew that she just had to be my love. Whenever she came to me crying, I'd always hug her and comfort her.even though I was little, I realized what happiness meant. It was her.  
  
I completely hid my feelings I had for her since many years ago. I pretended to only like her as a sister, even though she meant way more to me than that. It wasn't so easy trying to forget her and I though if I oppressed my feelings, they'd go away. But instead, they grew stronger every year until I no longer could hide them.  
  
I couldn't hurt my best friend, though. They were both important to me. I chose him over her love. There were many times I wanted to separate them, to keep her from getting to him. But she went to him anyway. I'm the only one left to be hurt. It's okay, though. As long as she's happy.I should've given her up a long time ago.  
  
But it really hurts. It hurts that I can't reach her now. I will never have her, or even hope to make her mine. I wanted to give her my ring. It seems like I don't need it anymore.she'll now wear his ring and be his.forever. But I will always love her, more than he can ever love her.  
  
Goodbye, Tallie. My princess.  
  
John continued to stare at the sky, thinking about Skyler Dane and Tallie Anderson. His two best friends since he was little. Now that they are together, their friendships will alter forever. He then looked at the ring in his hand. Now he'll never have an opportunity to give it to her. It had an inscription on it:  
  
To You I Love  
  
He threw the ring over the sky as high as he could.it was never to be seen again.  
  
-The End- 


End file.
